South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has revealed why Indian superstar Virat Kohli has missed the opening two matches of the Test series against England.
On the eve of the series, Kohli revealed he was stepping away from cricket for at least the first two matches of the series due to “personal reasons”.
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While the reason behind Kohli’s absence hasn’t been revealed — a near-miracle in cricket-mad Indian where the legend is one of the nation’s biggest celebrities — until now.
Speaking on a Q&A on his YouTube Channel, during India’s second Test against England, de Villiers revealed that Kohli and his Bollywood actress wife Anushka Sharma are set to welcome their second child.
“All I know is he is fine,” de Villiers said.
“He is spending a bit of time with his family, that is the reason he is missing the first two Test matches. I am not going to confirm anything else. I cannot wait to see him back. He is fine, he is doing well.
“So I wrote to him ‘Been wanting to check in with you (sic) for a while now Biscuits. How are you?’. He said ‘Just need to be with my family right now. I am doing well’.
“Yes, his second child is on the way. Yes, it’s family time and things are important to him.
“If you are not true and genuine to yourself, you lose track of what you are here for — what are we doing on Earth, what are we here for.
“I think most people’s priority is family. You can’t judge Virat for that. Yes, we miss him. But he has made absolutely the right decision.”
Kohli has history choosing family first, having left after the first Test of India’s last series in Australia in 2020/21 when he returned home for the birth of his first child.
Kohli’s absence has been felt by India after the side lost the opening Test of the series after a heroic 196 from England’s Ollie Pope to turn a 190-run first innings deficit into a 28-run win for the Poms.
While the five-match series is expected to be close, it was not the start the Indian side was looking for.
But while India and England are locked in battle in the second Test currently, it’s no certainty Kohli will return for the third Test.
The Press Trust of India reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not clear on Kohli’s return.
“Family comes first as BCCI’s press release stated and Virat will only play if he feels that he is in a position to play,” a BCCI source in know of things told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Kohli, who amassed 765 runs in 11 ODI World Cup matches for runners-up India last year, missed the white-ball leg of the South African tour in 2023 and the opening T20 match against Afghanistan at home recently.
The 35-year-old remains the backbone of the Indian batting with 8,848 runs including 29 centuries and an average of over 49 in 113 Tests.
India has remained unbeaten in a Test series at home since 2012 when Alastair Cook’s touring England team beat them 2-1.
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